Cavs workout four draft prospects ahead of Game 1
The Cleveland Cavaliers add more names to their list of possible selections in the 2018 NBA Draft, hosting workouts for four players prior to Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
According to basketball insider Adam Zagoria, ahead of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers held a workout for St. John’s University’s sophomore point guard Shamorie Ponds along with three other 2018 NBA Draft hopefuls: Mustapha Heron, Omari Spellman and De’Anthony Melton.
"The Cavs workout also included Auburn’s Mustapha Heron (who also had the Nets on Friday), Villanova’s Omari Spellman and USC’s De’Anthony Melton."
All four of the players the Cavs worked out on Saturday were underclassmen and none played more than two years of collegiate basketball.
I’ve written quite a bit on Ponds, from when he was first reported to have a workout with the Cavs to the appraisal he received from Cavs general manager and fellow Brooklyn-native Koby Altman. In short, he’s a great playmaker with elite scoring abilities. His slight frame causes defensive concerns but he’s a player that could fit right in if drafted.
That said, this article will focus more on the other three prospects.
Mustapha Heron
Heron, a sophomore from Auburn University, is a 6-foot-5, 215 pound shooting guard who has averaged 15.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 steal per game on 44.0 percent shooting from the field and 37.2 percent shooting from three-point range.
He’s an athletic wing who has a high motor on both ends, is a constant threat to get to the rim and has a solid, if inconsistent, jump shot. He’s not a high-level facilitator but he but he plays smart.
It’s hard to see where he’d fit in during the regular season, as he does nothing particularly well outside of scoring. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just that to standout on a wing-heavy roster it would be best if Heron had a decidedly elite skill.
However, he could develop in the NBA G-League with the Canton Charge and become a solid all-around wing capable of rotation minutes.
Omari Spellman
Spellman, a freshman from Villanova University (the 2017-2018 NCAA champions), is a 6-foot-9, 260 pounds big man who averaged 10.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 0.7 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. He shot 47.6 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three-point range.
He has a terrific faceup game and his shooting touch extends out to NBA three-point range. He’s a big-time catch-and-shoot threat and is also an excellent defender and rebounder as well. He averaged 2.3 offensive rebounds per game, so expect him to be a force on the offensive glass — especially as he enhances his body with NBA weight rooms.
If Spellman was to be drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he’d be a terrific backup power forward who could play the role of a stretch four or stretch five behind Love. He could also play in lineups with Love because of the spacing and defense that he provides in the frontcourt.
De’Anthony Melton
Melton, a 6-foot-4,190 pound point guard who would be a sophomore at USC this season, withdrew from the school to focus on going pro after USC ruled him ineligible for the 2017-2018 season. As a freshman, Melton averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.0 block per game on 43.7 percent shooting from the field and 28.4 percent from three-point range.
He’s like a Swiss Army knife at lead guard. A lean version of Marcus Smart, considering his struggles as a jump shooter but his elite size and production on the defensive end.
Should the Cavaliers draft or sign Melton, it shouldn’t be to put him in position to be an instant contributor although he could do well in a backup role beside a lineup full of shooters. However, if the Cavaliers develop Melton properly (and focus on his shooting mechanics primarily), he could turn out to be one of the best players in the draft.
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*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com